Cannolo cheesecake

This summer we all traveled to Sicily and fell in love with that stunning region of Italy where the Aetna Volcano meets the deep blue sea and coffee is too good to mention. Needless to say any food I’ve tried there was yummy and that includes: my first Cannolo. Despite not being a cake person at all, it was so incredibly yummy it is hard to forget! Imagine a sweet and crunchy cinnamon shell filled with creamy ricotta cheese and topped with pistachios and chocolate chips... Ever since I had it, I’ve been thinking of ways to reproduce those tastes in a somewhat easier form. My Cannolo Ricotta cheesecake is the product of that culinary trial: a super easy crust made of crushed cookies and cinnamon and a sweet Ricotta cheese cream that you can whip up in minutes. Are you ready to give it a try?

Ingredients (for a 22 cm mold)

For the base:

• 200 g of digestive biscuits

• 100 gr of melted butter

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 tsp cinnamon

For the cream cheese filling:

• 500 g Ricotta cheese

• 100 g sugar

• 1 egg

• 2 Tbs whipping cream

• 1 Tbs Maizena

• 1 Tbs of Amaretto di Saronno (May be replaced by Vanilla extract)

• 100 g chopped chocolate

For the glaze and toppings:

• 100 g sour cream

• 1 Tbs pistachios, chopped

• 1 Tbs caramelized hazelnuts, chopped

• 20 g chocolate, chopped

• Half a cinnamon stick (optional)

Method

1. Crust: blend the cookies with the help of a mixer, then add in honey, cinnamon and melted butter and mix well. Pour into a springform mold and line the bottom and the edges of your pan with this mixture. Bake for 8 minutes at 160 C;

2. Filling: in a separate bowl whip ricotta cheese and sugar, then add in eggs and liquor (or Vanilla extract) while mixing. When this mixture is creamy and there is no more cheese lump in it, add in heavy cream and Maizena and mix again. Finally fold in the previously chopped chocolate. Your filling is now ready! Pour it onto the cooked crust and bake at 160 C for 55 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit in there for 5 more minutes. Finally let cool on the kitchen counter until you can safely handle it (around 30 minutes to 1 hour). Place in the fridge for 3 hours, then remove it from its mold by quickly turning it upside down onto a plate. Spread a couple of spoons of sour cream on top and let it sit in your fridge for 8/10 hours or possibly overnight;

3. Topping: When you’re ready to serve it, top it with chopped chocolate, crushed pistachios, hazelnut granola and cinnamon sticks. You’re all done!

*If you cannot find sour cream, you can make your own! Pour 75 g of heavy cream, 75 g plain Greek yogurt and 1 Tbs lemon juice into a bowl then mix them until combined.